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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fall — the season
  10. tube — a container
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. season — of the year
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fine — all right
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com